The Entwives
by AshleyIvola
Summary: My story of what became of the Entwives after they split from the Ents.


There is a lot of speculation on what happened to us after our split from the Ents. We grew estranged from the Ents, we Entwives and maidens' preffering to look after the smaller plant life, while the men tended the larger trees.

While we could have stayed with the Ents, we felt that we could live better elsewhere. That being said, we decided to leave. Leaving was not an easy choice; the Ents were our husbands, sons, and other relations. To leave them was something that most of us dreaded, but we knew that it would be better in the long run. So we left.

We agreed to head east of Fangorn Forest towards the Anduin River where we eventually grew our garden. We spent many a year tending our garden and helping it grown. The plants and flowers were plentiful and we had fresh water to drink and make our draughts. We needed for very little while at this place. While we were happy to make this our home, we still missed our families back in Fangorn Forest. I doubt that that would ever change.

While our lives were slowly falling into place in the beauty of our garden, war was slowly infringing on us. We thought that as long as we stayed out of the way, we would be left alone to care for our garden – but that was not to be. In one foul attack, our garden was gone – and most of us with it. The land that was once so fertile was destroyed. Those of us that managed to survive could do little but watch as fire ravaged the once green land that we spent so much time caring for.

I was but a young Entling then. I can remember that day quite clearly as it is, and was, a constant nightmare that would leave my leaves shaking. The small plot of land that I was helping tend in honor of Yavanna was gone – all my efforts in making the fruit trees as beautiful as possible were for naught. I stood by my mother as we waited to see who else might make it out of the destruction. It didn't take long to realize that the only course of action left to take was to flee.

The group of us that were left was small, maybe only forty in total. We knew we needed a course of action now that we had to leave everything behind. Some wanted to head north towards Mirkwood, while some wanted to head west back towards Fangorn. My mother and a few others wanted to get as far away from the destruction as they could, opening the choice of heading even farther west, to the other side of the Misty Mountains. In the end, twenty of us made the decision to go past the Mountains.

It was a long journey to the Gap of Rohan, even longer with the two elder Entwives that joined our party. While they had slowly started losing the ability to move before the attack, they seemed to be the most eager to move us along now, though that eagerness was offset by the fact that they seemed to be unused to exerting that much movement at one time. It took many days to reach the Gap. We knew that passing through would be a challenge, but seeing Angrenost in the distance made us speed up our pace.

The actual getting through the Gap was a lot easier than anticipated. All of us made it through with no problem. The Elders kept the other Entlings and I in line while the other Entmaidens led us through the Gap. Once on the other side of the mountains, the group turned to the north.

We followed the North-South Road to Tharbad, The road was in poor shape, the ruins that lined it astounded me and, I'm sure, the rest of the party. Everywhere I looked I saw ruin. All this did was leave us with the wish to move faster to get away from the devastation. We rested a few days at Gwathló where we regained energy to continue on our way with new enthusiasm.

Reaching the area later known as the Shire was a relief. We knew from the way that the land looked that we had found a place to settle down once more. The land was fertile and we readily looked forward to once again going about looking after the plants. It gave us something to take our mind off all the desolation that we had seen. Before we knew it, the Third Age was upon us.

One day, we noticed that there were voices coming towards our garden. There wasn't many, but it still made all of us nervous. Were we once again going to have to watch as our work was demolished? Would we once again have to flee for our lives? Once the owners of the voices came into sight, we knew that we would not have to worry. The smiles and joy that the Halflings had on their faces calmed out worry. Before we knew it, we were teaching them the things that Yavanna had created us for. The Hobbits, as they came to be called, took to it with fervor. As they started taking care of more and more of the land, we Entmaidens began to move closer and closer to the North Moors.

While we once again did not want to leave what had become our home, we knew that we once again had to move on. Moving to the Moors had been our way to spread Yavanna's hope of caring for the plants just that much further. Eventually the Elders grew tired and turned tree-like, unable to move and only able to speak in whispers. As time passed, more and more of us grew tired. Eventually, there were only three of us left to care for the land in the Moors. I don't like to think what will happen once we too grow too tired to move. I have hope that more Entmaidens have survived and they managed to pass on our ways, but that hope is slowly dying as word of evil passes through the land once more.

It is my hope that by sharing our story with you Hobbits once more, that you will take over in our stead. It seems that you were able to hear the voices of the plants just like us. I don't want the wonderful Shire to end up like the Brown Lands. It is also my hope that if you happen upon an Ent, you can share what has become of us. Thank you young ones, for you have made this Entmaiden have hope that the plants will not be completely destroyed while you are alive to care for them.

With this, I now leave you. You have been most amusing to watch and it was a joy to teach you the way of the Ents and Entmaidens. You have given me the ability to finally rest. I thank you.

I knew I had no more to say. I turned towards the North Moors once more and began to leave. With every step I took I grew more and more tired, yet I couldn't stop just yet; the others were waiting for me. We were all that the other had. The elders had long ago stopped their whispers and even my mother could do more than whisper softly the few things she could remember. I knew that none would awake from their slumbers.

Upon reaching the two that had waited for me, I knew that our time to rest had come. There was nothing else we could do in this land.

With that, I closed my eyes.


End file.
